The Preying (season 3)
On January 28, 2015, the same day as the second-season finale, AMC renewed The Preying for a 16-episode third season. Lana Thompson and Carmen Jenkins join the main cast after previously being recurring guest stars. In addition, new antagonist Lydia Stevens 'was also added to the main cast for the third season. The theme of the third season will focus on change, with Daniel's group attempting to find a new shelter after ending the war against John. Filming for the season begun on January 29, 2015 and ended on TBA, 2015. Cast *This season consisted of 16 episodes. *This season featured fourteen series regulars, all of whose names appeared in the opening credits. *'Daniel Ross, Jake McDonald, Ava Ross, Kacey Mitchell, Ryan Johnson, Dr. Marie Adams, Melissa Montague, Lana Thompson, Lauren Barr, Carmen Jenkins, Aaron Ross, Elle Adams, and Cole Sanchez were present for all episodes. *'Lydia Stevens '''was absent for one episode. 'Starring: *'Daniel Ross - '''The series' main protagonist who is hoping to move on following the loss of additional family members in the previous season. '(1 episode) *'Jake McDonald - '''Daniel's best friend and right-hand man who formed a relationship with Kacey in the previous season. '(1 episode)' *'Ava Ross - The strong, determined wife of Daniel who is reckless due to her desire to survive. '''(1 episode) *'Kacey Mitchell - '''The fierce female leader of Daniel's group who formed a relationship with Jake in the previous season. '(1 episode)' *'Ryan Johnson - The kinder, younger brother of John Connell who is attempting to rebound following several betrayals in the previous season. '''(1 episode) *'Dr. Marie Adams - '''The headstrong, wise aunt of Elle who serves as a maternal figure to the group. '(1 episode)' *'Melissa Montague - A fiery widow who is attempting to find her place in her new surroundings. '''(1 episode) *'Lana Thompson - '''The ex-wife of Ryan who has recently started another relationship with him in the previous season. '(1 episode)' *'Lauren Barr - The distraught half-sister of Cole who is attempting to accept her father's death. '''(1 episode) *'Carmen Jenkins - '''A new member of Daniel's group who is determined to prove her worth. '(1 episode)' *'Aaron Ross - The sole-surviving child of the Ross family who is looking to survive following his sister's death in the previous season. '''(1 episode) *'Elle Adams' - A compassionate member of Daniel's group who has become disturbed following her mother's death. (1 episode) *'Cole Sanchez - '''A tough, stern member of Daniel's group who has toughened up following the loss of his father. '(1 episode)' *'Lydia Stevens - The season's brutal main antagonist who is the leader of a group that believes they do no wrong. 'Recurring: ' *'Emma Donahue - '''A new, lesbian member of Daniel's group who lost her entire family in the previous season. '(1 episode) *'Marta - '''Lydia's second-in-command who tends to abuse her power and make poor decisions. '(1 episode)' *'Amber Stevens - Amber's driven, brutal daughter who sets her sights on Cole. *'Jesse Rowland - '''A type-A member of Lydia's group who likes having things done his way or no way. *'Lt. James Sullivan - 'A former U.S. Army lieutenant who is a the military leader of Lydia's group. *'Destiny -''' A tough member of Lydia's group who is the second-in-command of the militia. *'Becca Dawson -' Danny's mature, older sister and Amber's adversary. *'Danny Dawson -' A laid-back and enthusiastic member of Lydia's militia. 'Guest: ' *'John Connell - '''A former antagonist towards Daniel's group whose fate was left unknown in the previous season. '(1 episode) *'Alyssa -' A battered survivor that is encountered by Lana and Ryan. (1 episode) *'Jack Johnson -' An angry, middle-aged member of Lydia's group who struggles to cope with his wife's death. Episodes 'Episode 3x01: Stepping Stones' *In the season-three premiere, Daniel's group looks to move forward taking baby steps following several tragedies. Meanwhile, Lana and Ryan face a big problem after taking care of a new one. *The episode begins with Ryan and Lana shown at the gated community with walkers slowly beginning to surround them. Lana asks what they should do, and before Ryan can respond, John grabs his ankle, begging for help. John apologizes for everything that he has done, but merely did those things because Daniel and his group had it coming to them. Ryan steps on John's chest and forces more blood out, and Ryan tells John that Daniel is a good man, and that John is just one big monster out of the thousands that have taken over their world. Ryan cocks his gun at John's head and John begs for mercy, but Ryan shoots him in the head anyways, killing him. Lana tells Ryan that they've got to move, and Ryan moves past Ashley's grave and tearfully looks at it before the pair begin taking out walkers and running out of the gated community with several bags and weapons around their bodies. *Daniel's group is shown walking throughout the woods and a voiceover of Aaron's occurs: "We just got out. I haven't stopped running in a long time. I'm the last Ross kid standing - and I don't mean that in a joking manner either. All of my siblings are dead, and it's my job to see that I survive. Dying isn't an option - turning isn't an option. It isn't an option for any of us anymore. The only option we have is surviving, and the only thing we're gonna do is survive. Screw living. Living gets you killed. That's what just killed my sister. Humility killer her. Insanity killed my brother, and a bad shot killed my baby sister. I'm not angry about them anymore, I'm just.. in pain. But that pain won't go away, you just got to put it on the backburner. In a world like this, you don't just have time to stop and cope with death. I'm not worried anymore. My group will survive, we will. We're strong, we're mighty, and most of all - we have hope. That's the stepping stone to surviving. Every single move we make anymore is a stepping stone, and the risk heightens each time. I like risk now, it excites me. I'm not afraid anymore.. I can't be. I'm strong. I'll write in you, later I guess. I found this in Ashley's bag, and it was never written in, and I'd figure I'd do something educational. I loved to write. I feel like I'm rambling now so I'll stop. If my optimism doesn't work, I'm not sure anything will." *Daniel's group is shown sitting around a campfire and eating. Daniel tells the group that they just gotta keep pushing through and they'll eventually find a safe place. Jake nods in agreeance and encourages Ava to sleep, as she hasn't slept in days. Ava refuses to sleep, and says that she doesn't want her guard down anymore. Daniel begs Ava to rest, and she finally gives in. Marie looks at Ava despairingly and shakes her head. Cole looks at Marie and tells her that Ava is merely grieving, and to give her some time. Marie assures Cole that isn't why she was shaking her head, but Cole doesn't respond. Carmen is shown not eating and Daniel asks why she isn't eating the squirrel, and Carmen tells him that she doesn't want to take away from the rest of the group by eating. Jake tells Carmen that she is indeed one of them now, and that they need her to keep up her strength so she can be an active, helpful member. Carmen smiles and begins eating. Kacey is shown looking at Lauren angrily and Elle urges Kacey to speak to Lauren. Kacey asks why she should speak to Lauren, and Elle explains that they need to make-up, and Kacey reluctantly walks over to Lauren and asks to talk. Lauren agrees and the two go off walking. Jake tells them to be safe, and Lauren asks Kacey what she wanted to talk about. Kacey apologizes for Lauren's loss and Lauren thanks her. Lauren apologizes once again for her betrayal of the group, and Kacey folds her arms and said it wouldn't be a problem if she hadn't done it in the first place. Lauren becomes angry and asks Kacey if Jake was threatened if she would do it. Kacey tells Lauren that Jake can protect himself and didn't need protection, but couldn't say the same for Miguel. Lauren begins crying and Jake overhears this, and reprimands Kacey. Kacey pleads with Jake and they get into an argument, and Jake apologizes to Lauren for Kacey's behavior and asks if she is okay. Lauren nods and Jake walks back to camp. Emma is shown to be silent with the rest of the group until Aaron approaches her, and asks how she is doing. Emma responds that she is doing fine, and that she is going to sleep. Aaron looks at Elle and Elle urges him to give Emma time, as she'll open up eventually. The group heads to sleep with Melissa and Daniel taking the first watch. Daniel asks Melissa how she is holding up after everything that has gone down in the past six months, and Melissa tells Daniel that she is still alive, so she is doing fine. Daniel asks Melissa why she went back with Hanson and John, and Melissa relives her mission of making John pay for forcing her stillborn child, and is proud to say that she lived to see it through. Daniel asks if she misses Hanson, and then quickly corrects himself and says that it isn't any of his business. Melissa smiles and says that she doesn't miss Hanson at all, but misses the love they once had. Melissa smiles and assures Daniel that she'll find it again someday, and she'll have a child someday as well. Daniel says that she will survive this... they all will. *Ryan and Lana are shown at night at the same time period of Daniel's group. Ryan is shown staring into the fire and Lana urges him to quit looking directly into it, as it will hurt his eyes. Ryan claims that he doesn't care, and Lana emotionally stands up and says that John wasn't a good brother and that Ryan shouldn't feel bad for turning on him. Ryan says that doesn't feel any remorse for John's death, but says that they should've went off with Daniel. Lana assures him that they'll find him and his group and they'll all be together eventually. They kiss each other goodnight and fall asleep in their tent, and the next morning when Lana goes outside the tent to survey their surroundings, a gun is pulled on her. A battered woman orders her to turn around and urges Ryan out of the tent. The two hold their hands up and the woman reveals her name to be Alyssa, and asks if they have any food or water. Ryan hands her some of each and the woman quickly eats the food and drinks the water. She thanks them and puts the gun down. She falls to the ground and begins crying. Lana kicks the gun away from her and puts it into the back of her jeans. She asks what is wrong with her, and Alyssa says that she just watched her entire family get devoured by walkers about three weeks ago and has been unable to find any food since or people. Ryan invites Alyssa to join them and tells her that there is a group of twelve group members and with them three, it will make fifteen members. Alyssa asks if she can go with them and they accept, and tells her that they need to get moving. They begin walking and Lana asks Alyssa where she is from, and Alyssa says that her family is from New York, but they were visiting Los Angeles when the outbreak began. Alyssa tears up and says that her husband and children were in New York when the outbreak began, and have no idea of where they are now. Lana apologizes for her loss and tells Alyssa that they were holding up in a community with walls, but it got overrun after the ruler became a tyrant. Alyssa apologizes and asks if they are married, and Ryan tells her that they were, but they got divorced five years ago and he married an awful person and she recently died, so they're back together now. Alyssa laughs and says that is one messed up love story. Lana and Ryan laugh and agree that it is, but suddenly, walkers roam around them and Ryan tells them to run as he fires off his gun. Alyssa begins running with Lana and a walker grabs her and Alyssa drives a knife into it's skull. Alyssa pulls out a gun and begins helping Ryan and shoots right over Ryan's left shoulder, killing a walker. As soon as they believe they have taken out all the walkers, more roam around them and they begin running, and Ryan tells them to run onto the road. *Daniel's group is shown waking up and preparing to get on the road once again. Ava is shown emotionless and looking straight ahead, and Marie asks her if she is alright once again. Ava coldly responds that she is fine, and stops the entire group and tells them to stop asking if she is okay and begs them to stop patronizing her and Daniel. Ava says, "We lost a daughter, and we're trying to grieve. I can't grieve if I can't do it in peace without somebody asking me every five minutes if I'm okay. I'm not like how I was before. I wasn't suicidal, I wasn't weak. I'm strong. I can handle this. Focus your attention on something else, and stop worrying about me." Marie apologizes and turns away and the group resumes walking. Daniel tells Ava that was unnecessary, while Ava believes that it was very necessary and the group needs to leave them be. Kacey urges Marie just to give Ava some time, and then she'll be willing to open up. Elle stops Daniel and asks if he knows where they're going, because they need to start finding cars because they're standing out here as if they're walker bait. Daniel says that they're gonna finds cars, a shelter, weapons, and they're gonna survive. Walkers begin appearing out of the woods and the group opens fire and Emma angrily beats a walker, splattering it's brains onto the road. Even after Aaron urges Emma to stop, she continues beating the walker, and Aaron grabs Emma's gun and begs her to get up. Emma snatches the gun from Aaron's hand and says that she is fine, and to leave her the hell alone. The group clears the walkers and they resume formation down the road. That night, Daniel addresses the group and says, "I know that you all might be wondering where the hell we're going. And honestly, I don't know myself. We just need to find somewhere. Find somewhere we can take, and we can live together. But we have to be optimistic and work together. We're not gonna die. We're gonna survive. Understand?" Jake is shown smiling and says they have to work cohesively together, and orders the group to quit their arguing, and tells them to merely grieve their losses. Daniel smiles and kisses Ava and tells her that he loves her, and Ava says it back. Ava apologizes to the group, and Marie tells her that she was merely grieving, and she is okay. The pair hug, and the group seems to be well. Meanwhile, binoculars are shown watching the group, although the person holding them is not revealed. *Ryan, Lana, and Alyssa get onto the road and find a car. The car starts and the three get inside and Lana sits in the back seat, as a precaution. They take off and Alyssa asks where they're going, to which Ryan responds that they're gonna find the rest of their group. After a brief time driving along the road, Alyssa mentions her stomach hurting and asks to head back into the woods. Lana asks why the woods as they have a car that can be locked. Alyssa asks to be in the woods as she is claustrophobic and cannot sleep in a car. Lana and Ryan agree and they go into the woods and set up a tent. Lana and Ryan go to sleep and Alyssa steps out for a brief moment, and she is shown at the car again. She is shown with a flashlight and at the gas tank, and is draining gasoline into a gas can. She is shown dumping gasoline around the tent and sets it on fire and walks away with a wide smile on her face. *Daniel's group is shown sleeping and the same person is shown walking around their camp. The person is revealed to be a woman. She pulls out a walkie-talkie and says, "Marta reporting ma'am. Target acquired. I repeat, target acquired." as the episode ends. *'Guest Stars': Emma Donahue, Marta, & Alyssa *'Absent': Lydia Stevens 'Episode 3x02: Up in Flames' *Daniel's group is the target of a new predator, but are looking for food and shelter; meanwhile, Lana and Ryan track down a new enemy. *The episode begins with Lana and Ryan's burning tent being shown. Lana is shown waking up and smelling the fire, and demands Ryan to get up immediately. They grab their supplies and run out fot the tent and look around for Alyssa, who is nowhere to be found. Lana angrily calls Alyssa a lying bitch and the two run for the car, to which they find to be out of gas as well. They see a trail of bloody footprints leading down the road and Lana and Ryan begin following them, hoping to find either Alyssa or Daniel's group, or both. Lana walks down the road and asks Ryan what they're doing, and Ryan reminds Lana of the task, but Lana actually means what they're doing with their lives. Ryan says that he made a big mistake in trusting John, and Lana tells Ryan that only makes him human, and that she loves him regardless of the mistake. They continue down the road and the tracks suddenly stop. Lana looks around and suddenly, a zombified Alyssa walks up and grabs Ryan's arm. Lana quickluy puts Alyssa down, whose stomach was slashed open and her intestines left hanging out of ehr stomach. Lana helps Ryan up and Lana walks down the road, and Ryan asks Lana to stop, but she doesn't, and says that Alyssa deserved it. Ryan follows Lana down the road and they emerge in the woods to discover Daniel's group. Daniel embraces them and as does the rest of the group. Lana smiles and says that she's pleased to have found them, and Ryan reveals that John is finally dead. Daniel says that they're short on supplies and that they're gonna need to go on a run immediately. Daniel, Jake, Kacey, Ryan, Lana, Ava, and Carmen head off onto the road in hopes of finding food or a potiental shelter, and Aaron is placed in charge of himself, Melissa, Emma, Marie, Cole, Lauren, and Elle. *After the credits play, Aaron's group is shown sitting at the camp. Lauren stands up and grabs her gun and walks off, and Aaron asks where she is going. Lauren says she wants to be alone, and is also looking for water. Cole says he is going with her, and Lauren initally refuses, but Cole says that she can't stop him. The two head to a stream and Cole asks how she is holding up, and Lauren says that she isn't holding up well at all, and begins crying again. Lauren asks Cole why he has barely cry since Miguel died, and Cole says "We have other things to do then grieve, as they simply don't have time to wallow in their own sorrow, and they don't get to just give up. We don't get to just give up. We fight, dad wouldn't want you to give up or be feeling sorry for him. You need to get the hell up and realize that you matter here. You can contribute. Stop selling yourself so short." Cole touches Lauren's shoulder comfortingly and turns back to the camp while Lauren is shown looking at her reflection in the stream and splashes her reflection away and walks back towards the camp. Meanwhile, Marta is shown peering behind Lauren and looking on the camp, and is shown picking up another walkie-talkie, "They're right where we want them. Our move?" There is no response, and Marta rolls her eyes and continues walking. Cole and Lauren arrive back at the camp and Marie asks if they're okay, to which they respond that they're fine. Cole kisses Elle who smiles. Emma is shown extremely uneasy and finally speaks up, "This isn't right. Why are you guys happy? So we just move on after losses? We act like the ones we lost don't exist? Is that what this group does? If so, I want out. I'll take my chances on the road alone." Emma begins grabbing her bags and Elle asks her to sit down, and tells her that they can't just dwell on all that they've lost, but honor their memories by living. Emma begins crying and says that her entire life has gone up in flames within a year, and she doesn't know what purpose she has left here. Emma says that she wants to be with her family again. Elle urges Emma to realize that isn't the right answer, but Emma pulls a gun to her head and just as she prepares to pull the trigger, Emma convinces her to put it down. Suddenly, a stray gunshot is wrung out and Emma is hit in the chest, wounding her. The group looks on in horror and quickly scramble, picking up Emma to avoid any further gunshots. Marta is shown looking from the scope of her gun and smiles, walkie-talking that the mission is halfway complete. *As Aaron, Lauren, and Cole carry a badly wounded Emma, Marie and Elle navigate their way through the woods, and on their way to the road, they encounter a herd of walkers. Marie and Elle begin shooting at the walkers, and Lauren joins in and angrily takes out several with her knife. Marie tells them to continue running down the road, but Cole states that Emma has lost too much blood and that she is unconscious, and suddenly, Marta appears from the woods and says that she has a community that will take them in and save their friend. Lauren tells them to go, and says that she'll alert the others. They deny this and tell Lauren to come with, saying that they'll use the walkie-talkie. Suddenly, Marta pulls a gun on them and tells them to get in the van, as they could've done things the easy way. She forces them in the van as Emma slowly begins to bleed out. Marie notices that Emma is slowly losing consciousness again and she loses it, and Emma doesn't regain consciousness, as she has passed away. They don't have any weapons, and fear that Emma will turn before they can make a stop. Lauren manages to kick open the window and open the backdoor and she rolls out onto the road, getting a bad burn. Marta slams on her breaks and runs out of the car and orders Lauren back inside. Suddenly, an angry Aaron peers from behind and knocks Marta over the head, and the rest of the group stares at him. Cole, Elle, and Marie tearfully bring Emma to the side of the road and put her down to prevent reanimation. In Marta's pocket, they find a set of batteries and put it into their walkie-talkies. Aaron calls Daniel, and alerts them that Emma was shot and is dead, and they've captured the woman that did it, and Daniel says they're on their way, and to stay there. Lauren stands up and his skin hanging from her arms and face, and she asks what they're gonna do, and Marie says they've got to find somewhere to hold down so they can treat Lauren's burns, and bury Emma. Marta begins gaining consciousness, and Elle and Cole both pull guns on them, and dare her to move. Elle and Cole tie her to a tree and begin keeping watch on her, and Cole asks her where her camp is, but Marta refuses to talk. This angers Elle and she orders Marta to talk or die, and Marta grabs for Elle's gun but Cole smacks her. Cole tells Marta not to do anything stupid, and asks where her camp is. Marta says that she's not talking.